Face to Face
by Jane Poirot
Summary: Ookami Kakushi: In an alternate universe where Sakaki is a wanted criminal on the run, Nemuru seeks to stop him from destroying Jouga at any cost. But how high is the price? PWP


Disclaimer: Fic's title is a reference to the song "Face to Face" (which I discovered courtesy of tumblr), which I do not own. Ookami Kakushi belongs to 07th Expansion and PeachPit. Before anyone gets up in arms about this, I would like to point out that the age of consent in Japan is thirteen; however, it can vary between thirteen and eighteen in municipalities and prefectures regardless of national law. This story is set around three years in the future, leaving Nemuru at the age of eighteen and Sakaki at twenty-eight (their VN profiles state their ages are fifteen and twenty-five respectively).

Also, PWP. You have been warned.

* * *

_ It's falsehood's flame  
it's a crying shame  
Face to face  
the passions breathe  
I hate to stay but then I hate to leave_

_-Siouxsie and the Banshees, "Face to Face"_

"Target's location?"

"Due north."

"Understood, Master Nemuru."

With a nod, Nemuru Kushinada turned off the radio and darted through the darkness, hoping the frost-covered trees could conceal her from the enemy. Shunichirou Sakaki was at it again. Two days ago, the neighbourhood watch had received an anonymous tip that Sakaki was within the city and had planted a bomb. Where, the person did not know; they confessed to only overhearing part of Sakaki's plan.

In theory, the plan seemed simple enough: Find Sakaki, capture him, and convince him to either disarm the bomb, or at least tell them where it was and then how to disarm it. Thanks to his Ochibito scent, Sakaki had been relatively easy to find (though he had tried to throw their scent off track). He was now within their grasp so it would only be a matter of hours, or minutes, until he was caught.

The hard part would be giving Sakaki a good reason to disarm the bomb.

This thought prayed on Nemuru's mind as she crouched behind a bush. When they caught him, how exactly would they get him to comply? She knew enough about him to know that no amount of money, shortened jail time, or apology would change his mind. Not that she blamed him. He hated her for a very good reason.

After what she had done to his fiancée, how could he not?

Mieko's tear-stained face flashed through Nemuru's mind and she quickly turned away as though that face were in front of her. "Not now," she muttered. "I can't let how I feel control me."

This was what she had told herself for the past three years every time she thought of Mieko, and Sakaki. Though she tried, she could never erase the memory of the day Sakaki had declared war on Jougamachi. Even now, she vividly recalled the image of him standing in the town square stating that he would never stop until the people responsible for Mieko's death were punished, and if he had to invoke that punishment so be it.

This had been his final word before he began the anarchy at the Hassaku Festival of 1983.

Amidst the sea of faces, the one face Nemuru never, ever forgot was that cold look of pure hatred in Sakaki's eyes when he passed her by.

But she couldn't keep thinking about that now. Now, she had to turn her focus to her current goal in the present: Capturing Sakaki.

She turned to the snowy clearing and waited. Soon, Sakaki came through, his footsteps crunching beneath him. In the darkness, Nemuru could see him smirk. But why? He should've realized by now that he was almost surrounded.

Unless he had some kind of upper hand on them that she didn't know about…

What if the bomb was planted _here?_ What if he had deliberately lured them here with the purpose of making sure they got the full blast? Would he then make a clean getaway? Or go down with his creation?

No, wait a minute…he wasn't running, he wasn't checking for anything…he was going straight ahead…

_Wait…wait…now!_

Nemuru reached for the scythe…

"Looking for something, _Kushinada?"_

Nemuru gasped and jumped up. Now, standing in the moonlight, she saw it: Sakaki held her scythe by the handle. In her hurry to find him, she had forgotten to take it with her.

"Talk about poetic justice!" he laughed. He swung the blade towards Nemuru, but she dodged. With a loud yell, she leaped towards him and kicked the scythe to the ground.

"Surrender yourself now, Sakaki-san!" Nemuru declared. "I repeat, surrender your—"

One, quick move.

A tap on her spine.

And suddenly, she couldn't move even an inch.

_Wh….what….?_

"Those karate lessons sure did pay off," Sakaki said as he picked Nemuru up and started carrying her. "Of course, a few lessons with an instructor gone rogue help a lot, too."

A thousand thoughts and emotions flew through Nemuru's mind. They all shared one thing in common:

The inevitable doom of Jougamachi.

* * *

Nemuru did not regain movement until Sakaki dropped her on the cold floor of his apartment, next to the futon. She twitched her legs and struggled to push herself up, but fell back down. Sakaki laughed at the sight of Nemuru writhing like a spider caught in its own web. He bent next to her and said, "So here we are. Now tell me, Kushinada—between the two of us, which is the mouse and which is the cat?"

"Uh…ugh…gah…"

"Don't worry, I won't kill you yet," Sakaki said. He pulled her bangs to the side. "That would be too merciful. No, you should _suffer._ Suffer as Mieko suffered, suffer as _I_ suffered."

"I…" Nemuru croaked. "I…"

"It's too late for an apology," Sakaki said, his smug expression slowly twisting into a furious one. "So don't even bother."

"I…I wasn't going to apologize," Nemuru choked out. "I was…hoping you might…"

"Might _what?"_ Sakaki spat. "Give you a perfect view of the destruction and chaos to come? I'd be more than happy to oblige. When the time comes, you can take a look out my window. And by the way, don't bother running—the door is locked and the windows are painted shut."

"No," Nemuru struggled to sit up. "I was hoping to make a bargain. If you tell me where the bomb is—"

"And why would I do that?" Sakaki asked. "Out of the goodness of my heart?" He stood up. "On second thought…if you're willing to make a deal, I might tell you where the bomb is after all. It needs to be something of value to me. If it isn't good enough, your beloved town is doomed." He folded his arms across his chest. "So what's it going to be?"

Of course, he was bluffing. Nothing Nemuru said could change his mind. Her town was doomed no matter what. But it would still be worth it to see her beg.

"Ah…how about a position on the neighbourhood council?" Nemuru suggested. "You could help change some of the laws. We're still working on them and-"

"You already had your chance to change the law seven years ago," Sakaki said coldly. "Please keep going. The clock is ticking."

"My life?" Nemuru suggested again. "You could kill me right here and…"

"…and you think that would guarantee I _wouldn't _detonate the bomb after I was done?" Sakaki scoffed. "Please."

"Perhaps a public apology?" Nemuru suggested a third time. At this, Sakaki let out a hideous, hollow laugh. "An _apology?_ What did I just say? It's too late for an apology. No amount of pathetic atonement can _ever_ bring Mieko back."

"I know," Nemuru bowed her head. "Please, tell me what I can give you that will make you happy. What will make you step down? Name your price."

"I was hoping _you_ could name it," Sakaki said. "I can't think of anything that would satisfy me enough. But perhaps _you_ can. So tell me, Kushinada: What do you think will satisfy me? What do you think will change my mind? Is there anything you can give me that would be enough? Anything at all?"

Nemuru's mind drew a blank. She struggled to think of something, _anything,_ that Sakaki might agree to. All she could say was, "Sakaki-san…please…"

"That's what I thought," Sakaki sneered. "Farewell, Nemuru Kushinada. I'll see you in hell." He turned to leave.

Suddenly, as if struck by lightning, a possibility flashed through Nemuru's mind. And she burst it out before she could think the implications behind it through:

"_My virginity!"_

Sakaki stopped. He slowly turned around. Nemuru realized then what she had said. She tried to stop herself from talking, but kept babbling, "W—what if you took my virginity? I took something precious away from you, and now, you could take something precious away from me!"

He wasn't turning it down. Nemuru, realizing it was too late for her to stop, continued to speak: "I know nothing I say or do can ever make up for the pain you must be feeling in your heart. I know nothing can ever bring her back. But look at it this way—I planned to save myself for my wedding day. Once you've defiled me, I wouldn't be able to look Hi—my husband in the eye and tell him 'This is my first time'. I would have to live with the shame of not being a virgin. But I could never tell him, or anyone else, because I'd be too ashamed. And isn't that what you want? Don't you want to make me _suffer?_ And what better way to make me suffer than by humiliating me? And what could be more humiliating than having my first time be with my worst enemy? The worst part of it would be that it wasn't forced—it was something I begged for, quite literally. Therefore…I have nothing else to offer to you that might serve as some form of payment to you, other than my virginity. So please, take it."

As soon as she finished talking, the room fell silent. Sakaki hadn't interrupted her. He hadn't dismissed her pleas. He had let her talk. But would he accept it? Part of Nemuru hoped he would, the other hoped he wouldn't. On the one hand, going through with it would mean turning her back on her virtues; on the other, she had vowed to do whatever she could to protect the citizens of Jougamachi. She had never imagined it coming to _this._

But perhaps she was overstepping it. He might not even accept her offer. If he refused, it would be of small relief to know her first time wouldn't have to be with "that man".

But then what other choice would she have? Force him to confess where the bombs were hidden and how to deactivate them?

The silence was broken by a laugh.

And that laugh came from Sakaki.

He threw his head back, banged his fists on the wall, and _laughed._ Did that mean he thought the idea was too ridiculous to accept? Was he laughing at the new lows Nemuru was stooping to?

Sakaki's laughter faded and became a hoarse, shaky whisper. At last, he spoke:

"Well…I never thought you—of all people—I mean—I…" He chuckled, "I can't believe…"

"So what will it be?" Nemuru said.

Sakaki turned to her with a smile that made Nemuru's stomach lurch forward. He said, "Oh, what the hell! Since you asked _so_ politely, it would be my fucking _pleasure."_

Wait…he was actually _agreeing_ to it? He was _accepting _it?

That meant she…and Sakaki…would…

_I must not throw up now, I will not throw up now, I can not throw up now…._

As Sakaki walked back over to the futon, Nemuru began to wish she had tried to force a confession out of him. Maybe it wasn't too late! Maybe, while he was distracted, she could pin him down, and…

Who was she kidding? She had sealed her fate the moment the words "my virginity" had escaped her lips.

"But let's raise the stakes a little further," Sakaki said as he kneeled next to her. "If you can make me call out your name, I'll tell you what you want to know. But if I can get _you_ to call out _my_ name, you'll get nothing."

"And how exactly would either of us achieve that?" Nemuru asked.

"Oh, there are ways to make it…shall I say…_enjoyable_ enough to invoke such a reaction, whether you intend to or not," Sakaki replied casually. "I'll only agree to take your virginity on those terms. Do we have a deal?"

He stretched out his right hand. Nemuru thought back to her mother. Would _she_ have done this? Would she have slept with an enemy to protect her loved ones? She _did_ always wish for a more peaceful future between the Kamibito and the Ochibito. What would she have done for that future? Would she have gone this far?

Maybe…maybe not…

If Nemuru didn't do this…if she said no…how else could she stop Sakaki? Could she really take him on alone?

And what about her friends? What about Hiroshi? Could she live with herself if they died and she never did anything to save them, all for the selfish want of saving herself for marriage?

Nemuru looked Sakaki in the eye and said:

"I accept your deal."

She stuck out her hand. Sakaki replied:

"And I yours."

They shook hands, each feeling as though they had made a deal with the devil.

They separated. "Well, let's get this over with, shall we?" Sakaki sneered as he began to undo his belt.

"R, right," Nemuru nodded, trying to ignore the knots in her stomach. "Which of us should go first? That is to say…"

Sakaki stopped, then planted his hands on Nemuru's shoulders. She gasped as he slowly lowered her onto the futon. With a tug, he removed her white wig, hood, and cape. Then, his hands across her waist, and he began to undo the bow of her sash.

Nemuru's heart thumped against her chest. She wasn't one to fantasize about sex, but she supposed that if she were, this would be the furthest thing from how she imagined her first time to go. Still, they had yet to get to the actual _act,_ so it might not be _that_ bad.

She kept telling herself this as he slid off her robes, leaving her in her slip and underwear.

She gasped as his hands moved across her bare skin down to her legs to remove her leg wear, sandals, and socks. Each item went off one at a time, delicately yet roughly, like a leaf falling from a tree that was caught in the harsh wind.

Her blood turned to ice at his touch and she shivered, trying not to let her bare knees knock together as Sakaki traced one hand up her thigh, towards the hem of her slip. _What am I doing? I can't lie here and let him control everything…_

"Please," Nemuru said as she sat up. "Allow me." She took his hands and placed them on the straps, then hesitated. She bit her lip and told herself, _Get it over with. Having sex will require for him to see you naked anyway._

She lifted her hand and allowed for Sakaki to slide the straps down her shoulders, and with it, the top half of the slip. The soft fabric brushed against the rising goose bumps and she breathed in sharply, wondering if he was prolonging this on purpose to make her feel self-conscious.

He slid the rest of the slip down her knees and tossed it aside. Nemuru lay on her back and her eyes met his. Neither broke the gaze for nearly a minute, sharing a look of a thousand feelings, none of them related to peace.

"Whatever it is you're going to do," Nemuru said at last, "you might as well do it now."

Sakaki smirked. "Are you sure about that?" He slipped one hand down her panties and she gasped. His cold fingers brushed her soft, sensitive flesh. Her cheeks and neck grew warm as she tried to resist this…_feeling._ She had expected his touch to feel disgusting, yet she couldn't deny the growing warmth and wetness in her panties.

And it actually felt _good._

Sakaki's finger hooked into her panties and slowly, teasingly, deliberately, he pulled them down and off. Nemuru shivered and her face grew hot, but she fought back the urge to cover her breasts. That would give him a sense of dominance, wouldn't it? That was what he wanted.

And she resolved to _not_ give him that pleasure.

Sakaki leaned in a bit further. He slid his fingers up her thigh and stifled a chuckle. She probably thought he couldn't hear it, but he could—that quiet but noticeable moan rising from deep in her throat.

_Just as good as begging for more,_ he thought as he finger slid further up. _It won't take much to make you cry out my name, will it? How humiliating would it be for you if you enjoyed this, I wonder?_

At last, he stopped. He cupped his hand around her folds and pressed lightly with his fingertips. Her moans grew louder, then stopped. He remarked, "My, my, were you _enjoying_ that?"

Nemuru remained silent. Sakaki stroked over the skin protecting the clitoris. Even if she tried to suppress her voice, he could still see her fingernails digging into the futon. The closer he got, the tighter she dug in.

A grin spread across Sakaki's face as he stopped right above the small, hard bump. He slid one finger inside and pressed down.

_Oh…oh my…no, must not…must…not…_

Nemuru curled her toes, clutched the sheets, and silently gasped. No matter how good that wave of pleasure had felt, she could not—absolutely _could not_—call out his name.

Not even if it felt oh so _good…_

"Hmm? That wasn't enough for you to call my name?" Sakaki taunted. "That's all right. There's more than one way to skin a cat."

He slid two more fingers inside her. He massaged her inner walls and she hissed. She closed her eyes and thought, _Ignore how good this feels…ignore how _wonderful_ this feels…think about what you could lose if you give in…_

"_Still_ not good enough?" Sakaki mocked. "Very well." He slid his fingers out. "I'll try one more thing. Then you can have a turn."

He grasped her breasts and played with her nipples. He rubbed and pressed with his thumbs. He pinched and squeezed with his fore fingers. He flicked with his fingernails.

All the while, she bit her lip and didn't let a single sound escape. She glared defiantly. He returned the look with a smirk.

Then, he let go and started to unbotton his shirt. He sighed, "Oh well, I guess you're frozen. Too bad. Eh!?" he cried out when Nemuru grabbed his wrists and pinned him down.

Not knowing what had come over her, Nemuru let go of one wrist and yanked his shirt open.

"Wh…what the hell…" Sakaki muttered. He could only lie there in shock as a new look of resolution formed in his opponent's eyes. Oddly enough, this sudden dominance was…_attractive._

Nemuru quickly moved to his pants and unzipped them. She began to take them off, but then felt something stiff and hard move against her hand. Realizing what this was, she stopped and let go of Sakaki, her face redder than before.

Sakaki sat up and pulled his shirt and vest off. "So you have it in you after all," he muttered as he moved on to his pants. "Who knew?"

Soon, he was in his briefs, but it was _far_ from over. Nemuru regained control of herself and pinned him down once again. "I believe you said I could have a turn, now?"

Sakaki's lips twitched. "Right, I did say that, didn't I?"

Nemuru wondered where to begin. She suspected Sakaki had some kind of experience with sex and foreplay. But she had none. He probably figured this would be easy because of that fact.

This left Nemuru with the element of surprise.

And this was what she went for: Temporarily pushing aside everything she knew as proper, she slid one hand down the front of his briefs and grasped his hot, stiff erection.

Now, it was Sakaki's turn to gasp, but he quickly stifled it. Nemuru hid a small smile. She rubbed the skin while Sakaki's face contorted and his toes twitched. It was like watching a zebra tickle a lion.

"—gah—gi…"

Nemuru wondered if she should say something to Sakaki about him being at a loss for words, but decided silence was more golden. She rubbed a particular area and he yelped.

She did it again. He nearly bolted up, but stopped himself at the last second.

Nemuru continued to rub while Sakaki gasped, "D—damn you…"

"Excuse me, but were you about to say my name?" Nemuru asked.

Now it was Sakaki's turn to glare. Nemuru slid her hand out and went for the nipples. She pinched them lightly. It was enough to make Sakaki's eyebrows and lips twist into a smile that was a mixture between pleasure and defiance.

Nemuru twisted them and he gasped, "W—wait! I need to last long enough for the—_gah!"_

"Remember," Nemuru said, "if you lose, you have to tell me where the bomb is."

"L—like hell I'll—_guh!"_ Sakaki gasped.

Nemuru let go and slithered her hands down his firm chest and stomach before arriving at his briefs. She yanked them down, then stopped. She averted her eyes and blushed.

"What's with the sudden modesty after what you just did?" Sakaki snapped as he sat up and pulled the briefs off the rest of the way.

Nemuru cleared her throat and said, "Well…it's my first time. Anyway…now that we're both—"

"Wait!" Sakaki said as he grabbed his pants and searched through the pockets. "Before we do this, there's one more thing I need to take care of."

He pulled out a box of condoms and opened it. While he was looking through it, Nemuru said, "May I ask why you had that in your pocket?"

"Well, it's not like I expected to share a night with _you,"_ Sakaki said as he took one out and began to unwrap it. "I made a quick stop at a pharmacy the other day in case I met—er…someone else."

"Whom?" Nemuru asked.

"That's none of your business," Sakaki replied. He began to roll the condom on while Nemuru said, "Would this 'someone else' happen to be Kaori Mana?"

Sakaki stopped, then continued, pretending not to hear Nemuru's question.

"You understand what the consequences would be if—" Nemuru began to say, but Sakaki interrupted: "And _you're_ one to talk?"

"I meant if you kissed her, or if she got…" Nemuru's voice faltered. "Anyway…are you done?"

Sakaki checked for loose spots and then bared a wolf's smile. "Of course."

Nemuru's stomach dropped. The foreplay had been one thing, but the actual _act_ would be something else entirely. She stammered, "S, so…as for the position…"

Sakaki sat and stretched out his legs. "Well?" he said. "What are you waiting for?"

Nemuru gulped, took a deep breath, and slid over to him. She wrapped her legs around his and thought, _All right, this might not be so bad after—_

Her thoughts were interrupted by Sakaki thrusting himself inside her. She gasped and squeezed her eyes shut. _It hurts it hurts…_

"What?" Sakaki panted as he continued to move. "Can't…take…it?"

Nemuru opened her eyes and hissed, "I will go for as long as I can. For the sake of the ones I love."

She grabbed onto his waist and hoisted herself further up so that she could look him directly in the eye. "No matter what," she declared, "I will never give up. Never!"

"Strong words from a delicate virgin," Sakaki scoffed. He used one hand to draw her in by the back, and the other to reach her right breast. He squeezed lightly and drew his fingers across.

_Ah, I see what you're trying to do, _Nemuru thought. _Let's see if I can do it also._

She moved her hands to his back and pulled him in close enough for their chests to touch. Quickly, she slid her hands down his back and squeezed his buttocks.

"Mmph…"

Okay, that provoked _some_ kind of reaction…

Nemuru planted her hands on Sakaki's firm, solid back and dug her nails in. He let go of her breast and grabbed her by the waist. She closed her eyes, rested her head on his shoulder, and scratched up and down. The pain had faded away. Now, she could concentrate better on what she was trying to do: Force Sakaki to hold up his end of the bargain.

Their breathing and movements grew quicker and quicker. Nemuru felt bold enough to do something she knew was stupid and potentially risky, but she did it anyway: She kissed his neck and shoulders.

As long as she avoided his lips…

"N…ne…nuh…"

What was this?

Nemuru scratched deeper and further, moving her nails up and down. She breathed against his neck, which felt so warm against her lips. She flicked her tongue rapidly, then licked slowly, like an animal enjoying its prey.

"Ku…ku…"

_Almost there…almost…_

She pressed her whole body against him and listened to him gasp deeper. She rocked herself against him faster and faster, then slowed down before scratching her fingers deep, deep, deep into his flesh.

Then, she pressed her tongue against that one spot on his shoulder…

"_Ku…Kushinadaaaaa!"_ he screamed. His body shivered against hers and his gasping became shallower and shallower. Nemuru felt that familiar wave of pleasure strike her once again and she gasped deeply and hugged him tightly.

And then…it was all over.

The two realized then how sweaty and sticky they were. And what they had done. And who had won.

They didn't separate for several seconds. They panted and struggled to catch their breath, still locked in each other's embrace.

At last, they let go. Nemuru slowly pulled herself out and collapsed onto the futon, breathing heavily, her whole body no longer cold but _flushed._ Sakaki lay next to her, slowly catching his breath. He rolled off the condom and tossed it in a nearby bin.

_I just fucked a schoolgirl,_ Sakaki thought. _And she was Mieko's murderer. And I lost. Damn it._

Nemuru rolled over on her side. She reached out and touched Sakaki's arm. He jerked in her direction.

"I believe you need to hold up your end of the bargain, now?" she said.

"Right, right," Sakaki sighed. "Well…" His eyes averted hers.

"Go on," Nemuru said.

Sakaki lowered his head and said in a flat tone, "In the mountains. It's hidden in the mountains. It's a time bomb activated by a detonator I hid in my vest pocket. If you take me with you, I'll show you where it is and disarm it."

"Afterwards?" Nemuru prompted.

Sakaki scowled. "Afterwards, I'll surrender myself to the authorities."

"Good," Nemuru said. "I'll go with to make sure you follow up on your word." She looked at the cast aside piles of clothing surrounding them. "But first, we should get dressed."

"Sure," Sakaki muttered.

But the two did not get up. They lay for another few seconds, still taking in the nature of the situation.

At last, Nemuru said:

"You know…that wasn't quite as bad as I thought it would be. It was…nice."

"Yeah," Sakaki said. "Nice."

Nemuru cleared her throat and stood up. She gathered her clothes and began to get dressed. Sakaki took this as his cue to do the same.

_Well, Mieko…you're probably laughing at me right now, aren't you?_ Sakaki thought as he pulled on his briefs. _Of all the ways I could've screwed myself over, this has to be the most humiliating._

After they had finished getting dressed, Nemuru turned to Sakaki. She said, "Well? Are you coming?"

"Yeah," Sakaki said. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, I am."

The two walked towards the door. All the while, Sakaki couldn't erase the feeling that Nemuru Kushinada had gotten the best of him.

And he had enjoyed it.

_So…I guess I was the mouse all along, huh?_

_The end_


End file.
